The overall purpose of this project continues to be the development of an artificial voice source, fully encapsulated in a bio-compatible elastomer, for implantation in the neck after laryngectomy. Goals acheived during the current project year were: 1. Elimination of foreign body rejection reactions. This was achieved through use of a new encapsulant polymer and rounding of the transducer container contours. 2. Development of an experimental high-purity polyurethane elastomer for the bioencapsulant, and of an outer porous surface to encourage fixation of the device in place. 3. Experiments with a high-purity rigid biocarbon device at the skin for signal and power transmission to the implanted transducer. GOALS SET FOR THE COMING YEAR: 1. Simplification of the power and signal transmission system, using the biocarbon "button". 2. Refinement and testing of the polyurethane encapsulant. This will include histologic analysis of tissue reaction adjacent to the implanted material and monitoring of liver, spleen and local tissues. 3. Accelerated acoustic testing of prostheses while implanted in live and conscious animals. 4. At the end of the coming year, we plan to be prepared to begin investigation with implantation in human patients.